The Godzilla franchise continues to expand, with the release of Godzilla Minus Zero—but how does it compare to other blockbusters in Monsterverse history? First created by Japanese film studio Toho for the 1954 film Godzilla (titled Godzilla, King of the Monsters! in the U.S.), Godzilla may be a giant lizard-esque monster, but he remains a pivotal figure in cinematic history, so much so that the creature continues to appear in new titles to this day.
The latest Godzilla movie is Godzilla: Minus Zero, a follow up to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. Both films take the character back to his roots, once again placing Godzilla in Japan (and, this time, in the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which inspired the creation of Godzilla in the first place).
Minus One received rave reviews, and, based on initial reception, it seems as if Minus Zero is being met with similar positivity. The latter marks the 39th film in the entire Godzilla franchise, and that includes titles from both the United States and Japan. Minus Zero may be right up there in terms of the best Godzilla movies ever made, although it faces stiff competition from franchise classics in decades past, too.
All Monsters Attack (1969)
All Monsters Attack is easily the weakest Godzilla movie. The story centers on a young boy named Ichiro who is lonely and depressed and, as a means to combat these ailments, begins to daydream that he visits Monster Island and becomes close with Minilla (the son of Godzilla). The film deserves credit for pushing Godzilla in a new direction at the time, focusing on human characters first and the actions second. But the execution unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired (especially as the film regularly reuses footage from previous Godzilla projects).
Godzilla (1998)
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In 1998, director Roland Emmerich made an admirable attempt to bring Godzilla to western audiences. Yet, despite those good intentions, Emmerich’s film remains one of the most divisive in franchise history, in large part because of its interpretation of Godzilla and other iconic creatures; it stripped the mythology away, reducing Godzilla to a mutated dinosaur. Matthew Broderick takes the starring role, playing a scientist investigating a monster that appears in New York City. Yet, Broderick can’t do much to save this movie from mediocrity, plagued with repetitive chase sequences and poorly executed humor.
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
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As the Godzilla franchise grew, so did the cast of creatures featured alongside him. Godzilla vs. Megalon takes that up a notch with a story that follows the inhabitants of an underwater city that decides to wage war on humanity after the latter’s nuclear weapons testing became too invasive. The creatures, known as the Seatopians, unleash a giant monster, Megalon, to help defeat the humans. Godzilla only comes into play when he’s used as a weapon to stop the Megalon, a story which has been repeated (and remixed) several times in the franchise’s history.
This film does deserve credit for embracing a less serious side of Godzilla, opting for bold creature designs and prioritizing entertainment first and foremost. Yet, these positives aren’t enough to overcome the many faults of the film, such as a distractingly low production value and a distinct lack of story beyond the bare-bones premise.
Son of Godzilla (1967)
Son of Godzilla shows the lighter side of the franchise by introducing the aforementioned Minilla. The story centers on Godzilla as he teaches his young son how to survive, and the two eventually encounter a group of scientists conducting weather-related experiments on the island. By far the biggest strength of this movie is the relationship between Godzilla and his son, which proves there will always be new directions to take the creature. Yet, despite that, Son of Godzilla tends to lean too heavily into lightheartedness, which overshadows the original design of Godzilla as a destroyer of worlds.
Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
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The first Godzilla sequel was Godzilla Raids Again. This pairs Godzilla with Anguirus, a giant dinosaur-like monster that goes to battle against Godzilla, all while the country of Japan suffers greatly once again from the destruction. On the human side of things, Godzilla Raids Again follows a pilot by the name of Shoichi Tsukioka, who leads the attempts to protect Japan’s citizens, and its cities, from total annihilation by the monsters.
This movie deserves praise for introducing a second monster, thus paving the way for future titles to do the same. Unfortunately, however, the human storylines don’t work nearly as well as they did in its predecessor, which leads to a weakened sequel overall.
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Terror of Mechagodzilla was the last in the original run of Godzilla films and adopts a much darker tone than others in the franchise. Dr. Shinzo Mafune is at the center of the story, a scientist whose daughter becomes connected to the alien technology that helped to craft Mechagodzilla. This features some improved human storylines, while the tone is enjoyable, but the story becomes too complex for its own good.
Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
One of Netflix’s underrated Godzilla adaptations, The Planet Eater wraps up a trilogy. It features the conflict between humans and Godzilla rising to a boiling point, so much so that the former consider securing the services of King Ghidorah, a space creature that has gone on to appear in several films since (including Godzilla Minus Zero). This movie’s animation is, predictably, some of the best in recent years, which helps The Planet Eater overcome some storytelling flaws.
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
The second entry in Netflix’s trilogy, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle follows Haruo Sakaki, the human at the center of the story, as he, and those humans that have survived the destruction to date, are tasked with going up against Godzilla; this time, they use a reconstructed version of Mechagodzilla to aid them in their efforts.
The central premise is certainly promising, if a tad unoriginal (which, to be fair, is hard to avoid with a franchise that has been going for this long). The deeper philosophical questions that this movie poses are compelling, too, but they come at the cost of entertainment, as the film is entirely too slow and features too much dialogue.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
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Godzilla: King of the Monsters is particularly important in terms of recent western Godzilla projects because of its introduction of the likes of Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. The human side of things is similarly stacked, too, with Vera Farmiga playing a scientist and Millie Bobby Brown playing her daughter. This film features plenty of spectacle, with an A-list cast and plenty of CGI monsters to join them. Yet, the story is too ambitious for its own good, and is ultimately bogged down by severely undeveloped human characters.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is arguably one of the strangest films in the franchise, in large part because of… well, SpaceGodzilla. This creature is born when Godzilla’s cells and DNA combine with energy from outer space, and he then goes on to pose a serious threat to Earth and its inhabitants. In response, the military develops a robot they call M.O.G.U.E.R.A. in the hopes of defeating the new enemy.
There’s plenty of ingenuity in the story of this movie, and it comes with some excellent design work on the new creatures. Yet, as is the case with so many Godzilla movies, the human storyline is, once again, extremely under-baked, which brings down the quality of the film overall.
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